Collada DAE As we all know, BeamNG uses the Collada (DAE) 3D file format, which is XML-based and thus human-readable. Not to mention the numerous disadvantages this format has (greater loading times, high disk space occupation, inflexible topology on the mesh, higher RAM usage, etc). The developers have tried to overcome some of these cons by introducing the CDAE; a proprietary cached binary version of the DAE data, primarily aimed at reducing loading times... which is surely out of the scope of this thread! Proprietary Formats A better solution—and a more common practice—would be to introduce a proprietary 3D file format for the digital assets used in the game. This approach helps protect intellectual property and prevents unauthorized copying or modification of assets. The developers could simply publish an executable that takes an input format (it could be anything, even DAE) and outputs an obfuscated asset that only the game engine would be capable of reading. They could also take another step and publish it as an add-on for Blender to make the process even more convenient for modders. Encryption Another layer of protection could involve encrypting the assets, making them unreadable without the appropriate decryption keys. This method is also commonly seen and would require much less development time compared to creating an entirely new format; it is also less prone to errors... Or perhaps a blend of the two could be implemented. --- Post updated --- Benefits to Creators I think it would be a huge help to the modding community. BeamNG would also benefit from an extra layer of protection for their assets. I’m sure they’ve had some close calls with their assets being used illegally… There would likely be fewer paid mods out there, as artists would feel more comfortable knowing that their property is safe and can’t be accessed without permission. More 3D-modelers would see modding as a way to showcase their work instead of just a way to sell their models. It’s a win-win for everyone involved!
If you're going to let modders modify the game assets, you open them up to being ripped. or if you lock everything down into a secure encrypted proprietary format, modders can't access it. you can't have both. the devs know that, and long ago opted for the first option. That being said, collada is an old format which is beginning to be deprecated by a lot of other software. glTF is effectively the successor, so if they're going to change to anything else it would likely be the easiest to transition to. No matter what, completely rewriting the game engine's mesh handling is a massive undertaking, and I suspect BeamNG's devs might have particular issues with making the flexmesh system work nicely.
Thanks for sharing these comments, and understand both arguments. I too have recently been trying to import some characters from other 3D software into BeamNG for 'that something different' in my screenshot creation. As a complete noob in this area and finding importing these characters hit n miss (only due to being a noob), and not prepared to go rummaging around in the core BeamNG Folders....so I have settled on creating my screenshots the 'old school' way....Photoshop compositing....lol....no risk of assets being ripped (I hope...lol) Screenshot samples created thus far. "That's my Girl" "Are you the Droid I'm looking for" "The Future of Law Enforcement" "Taking a break....Time to Reboot" "I am Unique" '2077 International Car Show" "Say Hello to my little Friend" 'Sector...Secure Miss' 'Citizen, leave sector immediately....10 seconds to comply' 'Warp Drive installed, Little Miss' Just trying something different.
you lost me at propriety. If there's one thing i hate more than anything else, it's that. The idea that any modder would like having to deal with this is laughable.
no the devs want the game to be open, they decided that encription wasnt gonna be a thing and since paid mods have existed for like 2 years i dont think they have revisited it + it shouldnt be a problem if your paid mod is a lore friendly design because who tf would care about that
This is 100% delusional. BeamNG being a hardcore vehicle simulation game that is difficult to understand initially, the only reason that there are tons of mods is that the 3D model, physical model and control system are open and human-readable. By making them proprietary, you can't make mods effectively, and mods could all be meshslaps as a proprietary format is difficult for the players to tell how terrible, meshslap-y the mod is. It's a lose-lose for everyone
Pretty sure the devs want us to be able to reuse vanilla assets in our mods, which requires using an open format. It also means they don't need to deal with supporting an exporter, and the issues that can bring (like your favorite modelling software not being supported). I still remember in the last few years of kee engine Automation (2017ish?), when the only way to make mods at that point was to pirate 3DSMax 2013 (unless you already had it from before), as that was the only software supported and Adobe had stopped making it available.
